Difference Between Judo and Jiu Jitsu

Judo is a martial art that originated in Japan but has become very popular across the world. It is not just a system of self-defense but also a very competitive modern sport that is played at the level of Olympics. Jiu Jitsu is another ancient martial art from Japan that attracts many people in the western world though they remain confused because of its similarities with Judo. However, despite similarities as two martial arts there are enough differences between judo and jiu jitsu that will be highlighted in this article.

Jiu Jitsu

Jiu Jitsu, or Jujutsu, as it is known in many countries around the world, is an ancient martial art developed in Japan to help people defend themselves against more powerful or armored opponents. This art of self-defense was a result of a need felt by Samurai warriors in feudal Japan to defend themselves against armed opponents in the battlefield. This art involved grappling, throwing and subjugating an opponent by restraining his movements so as to render his superiority in terms of arms as null and void. This ancient martial art helped weak individuals as they could resist and even dominate heavier and more powerful opponents.

As the name of this ancient martial art from Japan is written in kanji, its transliteration in English produced many different variants of the spelling leading to names such as Jujutsu, jiu jitsu, Jijitsu, and so on.

Judo

The martial art known as Judo and popular all over the world is credited to Jigaro Kano who was trying to learn the tricks of self-defense and tried jujutsu and other martial arts. Kano was a frail man and did not like the striking part of Jiu Jitsu. He took some of the techniques of Jiu tsu and combined them with other techniques from several other martial arts to evolve a totally new martial art called Judo in 1882. Kano believed that Jiu Jitsu was a dying martial art, and to popularize self-defense among the population, he introduced new moves and techniques called katas to come up with a new martial art that he dubbed as Judo. Judo focuses more on grappling and subjugating than on actual contact through striking. Soon this new martial art caught the imagination of the people around Japan and later around the world, and it was included as a modern sport at the Olympics.

Judo vs Jiu Jitsu

• Judo is an offshoot of Jiu Jitsu.

• Judo is a martial art developed by Jigaro Kano in 1882, whereas Jiu Jitsu is an ancient Japanese amrita art that evolved as a response to need felt by warriors to defeat more powerful and armed opponents.

• Jiu Jitsu focuses on striking whereas Judo focuses on grappling and throwing more than striking by hands and feet.

• Judo is more competitive in nature than Jiu Jitsu, and this is why it has been accepted as a modern sport in Olympics.

• jitsu is a complete fighting system with attacks on the nerve system and even soft organs.